Running Lice Problems

[bex's gpigs]

Hey guys I need some advice,

My pigs can't seem to shake off running lice, it started sept 2015 when I noticed little running creatures on my beloved rolo, I did some research and self diagnosed as running lice but to be sure, I took them to the vets, vet insisted it was mites and said I must have a keen eye to see them which now thinking about it, it's impossible as mites are Micro. She was useless she nearly over dosed my pigs ! I used xeno it worked.

Few months later back again, more reaseach, didn't see the point of vets as they were rubbish so brought lice and easy from gorgeous guineapigs, great stuff, however still hasn't moved them. After Friday I will be doing lice and again, any other suggestions? ? Why won't they off ?

Second question

I have a rabbit can he get running lice because I have read they only go on cavy, should I treat him with advantage, bathing is out of the question! ?

Any help will be highly appreciated

Bex

 

[Wiebke]

In some cases, lice can be a real pain to get rid of and can be extremely persistent. I am very sorry that you have come up against it. Could you please tell us what your vet used for treatment so we can avoid duplicating any advice?

@Abi_nurse @helen105281

 

[7squeakers.]

Have you treated the piggies living quarters too? Lice eggs will fall from the guineas coat into what ever they are living on/in and hatch there. Perhaps you can buy/borrow a steam cleaner and use that to kill any eggs lying in nooks and crannies. Are your pigs in a hutch or cage? If on fleece or the like, wash at a high temperature. Dogproductsdirect.co.uk sell a product for washing pet bedding that kills fleas, ticks and lice.

 

[Wiebke]

Have you treated the piggies living quarters too? Lice eggs will fall from the guineas coat into what ever they are living on/in and hatch there. Perhaps you can buy/borrow a steam cleaner and use that to kill any eggs lying in nooks and crannies. Are your pigs in a hutch or cage? If on fleece or the like, wash at a high temperature. Dogproductsdirect.co.uk sell a product for washing pet bedding that kills fleas, ticks and lice.

I would strongly recommend to deep clean with F10; be very careful when using broad spectrum anti-parasite products designed for other species; they can contain ingredients that are poisonous for guinea pigs.

 

[bex's gpigs]

I would strongly recommend to deep clean with F10; be very careful when using broad spectrum anti-parasite products designed for other species; they can contain ingredients that are poisonous for guinea pigs.

Tbh she didn't give me much advice, I am not keen on using chemicals and would prefer to use the lice n easy, I do clean the cages out but it's with a bog standard cleaner, however I will take your advice and use f 10, I will purchase some online. Do their wooden logs, plastic huts need to be washed as well. The vet said to clean cage out but I didn't need to bother with the huts, I ignored her advice but only used the cleaner I have in spray Form, I can't borrow a steam cleaner as I don't know anyone who has one lol

Thank you both for advice,

Do you have any knowledge whether rabbits can get them thought, as I don't want to treat him for no reason.

 

[bex's gpigs]

I would strongly recommend to deep clean with F10; be very careful when using broad spectrum anti-parasite products designed for other species; they can contain ingredients that are poisonous for guinea pigs.

If dried, would bleach wor? Allowing that it was fully dried out ? The pigs would have no contact with the bleach or the smell

 

[7squeakers.]

I would not use bleach anywhere near guinea pigs. They would be able to smell it even when dried out and it is much too caustic for their noses. Yes, wash their wooden logs and plastic huts too. Use the F10, as Wiebke has advised.

I think I'll have to buy some of that F10 too!

 

[bex's gpigs]

Yeah ill buy some F10, was just a thought

 

[Wiebke]

Yeah ill buy some F10, was just a thought

I would not use bleach unless there really is no alternative. F10 has got the advantage that is also very effective against fungal, including ringworm spores. When using parasitic disinfectants, you always need to double check that they are really safe for small pets. If in doubt, ask your vet what they would recommend. Lice can only survive on species specific hosts; any other blood is indigestible for them.
Here are the tips from Guinea Lynx: Guinea Lynx :: Lice

I hope that our more medically savvy members can help you on the treatment side.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

My brother used bleach years ago when he cleaned my nephew's pets' hutch out & they died I would never use bleach unless you can rinse under running hot water afterwards. If you use Lice n Easy then you must bath them & leave it on long enough (as per instructions)then rinse it all off. You then have to repeat exactly a week later. I use Flea or Die shampoo, you can buy it online, leave on for 15 minutes (Wrap them in a warm towel & have a cuddle) I would throw out any wooden hidies, toys cardboard tubes etc & wash any plastic hidies in very hot soapy water. The problem couklld be in your hay so I would bin whatever you have & buy fresh hay, preferably a different brand. Hays like Oxbow Western Timothy & Alfalfa King Timothy hay are sterile as they are imported from the US & are very unlikely to have any bugs in them.

 

[helen105281]

My recommendation would be to shampoo and then clip their coat as short as possible. That's what we always used to recommend at clinic. They were usually treated with Ivermectin too (orally by the vet). The bath was then done at least 48 hours after the Ivermectin. The shampoo we would recommend was Lyclear crème rinse but I know you would prefer to use a piggy product, so I would go with the Lice and Easy and follow up with a clip of their hair, and a thorough clean of the living quarters with the F10. I agree with throwing out the wooden hides.

 

[bex's gpigs]

My recommendation would be to shampoo and then clip their coat as short as possible. That's what we always used to recommend at clinic. They were usually treated with Ivermectin too (orally by the vet). The bath was then done at least 48 hours after the Ivermectin. The shampoo we would recommend was Lyclear crème rinse but I know you would prefer to use a piggy product, so I would go with the Lice and Easy and follow up with a clip of their hair, and a thorough clean of the living quarters with the F10. I agree with throwing out the wooden hides.

Thanks Helen for advice, I will do this Friday. I have a lot of wooden stuff and it cost a lot of money, would putting them in the oven work? As it would be hot enough to kill them off, if not I will throw them away. Why do I need to cut there hair ? Especially my short haired pigs ?

I get my hay from timothy hay site, I think it's there offical it's excellent stuff so hopefully it's not that, @Poppy'sMum. I will definitely offer some F10. Thanks again.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Well personally I would be changing the hay, as you might find yourself in the same situation in a few weeks time, if they are coming from the hay

 

[GPTV]

@helen105281
Can the wooden bridges,huts etc be doused/dipped/soaked in f10 instead of throwing them out? Or would it not be practical/safe.

@bex's gpigs
Or bag up bridges etc &put in the freezer for a few days if its only mites (wouldn't work for fungal issues etc)
Probably better than putting in the oven as it might catch alight/get too hot

Xx

 

[bex's gpigs]

@helen105281
Can the wooden bridges,huts etc be doused/dipped/soaked in f10 instead of throwing them out? Or would it not be practical/safe.

@bex's gpigs
Or bag up bridges etc &put in the freezer for a few days if its only mites (wouldn't work for fungal issues etc)
Probably better than putting in the oven as it might catch alight/get too hot

Xx

Yeah I thought of soaking them in F10 too but wasn't sure if it was safe, and we used to put our snake bark in the oven and yeah I guess freezing them would work the same ? ⁉

 

[helen105281]

It is to clip all of the infected hair off, the lady who ran the clinic I helped at once said that that is the most effective way of dealing with them.

F10 would probably work but am not 100% sure.

 

[Abi_nurse]

You will need to do a few things to stop the lice returning.

- stop the lifecycle of the parasite, a one of treatment of xeno will not be enough, you will need to do three treatments 10-12 days apart to break up the lifecycle and kill all of the parasites
- disinfect everything. Throw out any hay batches you have. Soak everything in f10 if you can. F10 is very safe to use. I nebulize patients with it and it's safe for use in birds (with very delicate airways) so providing you use it at the right dilution then it is safe to do.

Hope this helps.

x

 

[bex's gpigs]

You will need to do a few things to stop the lice returning.

- stop the lifecycle of the parasite, a one of treatment of xeno will not be enough, you will need to do three treatments 10-12 days apart to break up the lifecycle and kill all of the parasites
- disinfect everything. Throw out any hay batches you have. Soak everything in f10 if you can. F10 is very safe to use. I nebulize patients with it and it's safe for use in birds (with very delicate airways) so providing you use it at the right dilution then it is safe to do.

Hope this helps.

x

Sorry I should have said, I done the complete application for treatment, however I prefer not to put chemicals on so use lice and easy. As f10 is safe I will soak all their wooden hides in this thank you for that infomation, again I have just brought 5 bales of hay at £20 EACH, I'm a student I can't just chuck that sort of money away , I guess I could just feed it to my rabbit to use it up, from the UK does anyone have suggestions for hay? However couldn't it come from the new place as well ? My pigs also go outside do that must be a risk ?

Thanks for help x

 

[bex's gpigs]

Fyi Timothy Hay | Rabbit Hay Supplies UK

This is were I get my hay from 2013 batch, it's the best I've ever brought

@Poppy'sMum @Abi_nurse

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Wow why did you buy so many bales? Do you have lots of pigs? You could contact them & ask for a refund maybe? Personally I only buy small quantities at a time & buy sterile hay from the US like Oxbow Western Timothy or Alfalfa King Timothy hay so never have hay mites/lice problems.

 

[bex's gpigs]

Just to keep it stocked, they go through hay like idc what lol and I can't ask for a refund as there is no real proof it is from there, but I will look into a different hay, it's a shame because this hay is probably the best I've ever purchased.

What does sterile hay mean? Do they use chemicals ? @Poppy'sMum

 

[GPTV]

I'm not sure but I think I read that somebody on here put there hay in the microwave before use. Not sure that would work, personally I wouldn't try it for mine, but usually I only buy small quantities of hay or the bales from the local farm are usually only about £5 so it wouldn't be all the world for me to throw it away.

I dont know if the poster put the hay in a bag or pillowcase or sometimg to microwave it? Same as a wheat bag for us humans I suppose. I'll see if I can find who posted it.
These little wigglies are a proper pain!
Xx

Edit-- aha! It was @Poppy'smum in
This thread [URL='https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/lice-treatment-working-or-not.134178/#post-1839044']Lice Treatment Working Or... Not?[/URL]
Xx

 

[bex's gpigs]

Thanks for advice and finding that post! @Poppy'sMum please tell me more about microwaving hay, my roommate will think I'm crazy lol, do you just put it in a bag or on its own? Does it have to be cooled right down when given to the pigs lol I've never ever heard of that

 

[Wiebke]

@helen105281
Can the wooden bridges,huts etc be doused/dipped/soaked in f10 instead of throwing them out? Or would it not be practical/safe.

@bex's gpigs
Or bag up bridges etc &put in the freezer for a few days if its only mites (wouldn't work for fungal issues etc)
Probably better than putting in the oven as it might catch alight/get too hot

Xx

You can hang onto your wooden hideys etc. provided you slowly dunk them under completely to make sure that really every little nook and cranny is reached. Then let them dry as they are with the F10 solution. Use the concentrate for that, as the spray may not get everywhere.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

To answer your questions, hay from the US is sterile because it is heat treated before packing, EU regulations mean they are careful about bringing in anything from abroad in case of non native bugs or fungus etc are imported. You are not allowed to bring potatoe into the UK or at least you weren't long ago to prevent potato blight being imported accidently. Yes I have microwaved hay, 45 seconds on high (don't leave unattended!) in a glass bowl, just a few handfuls at a time then put into a cean open plastic storage box. However you don't really need to do that with the US hay anyway. Please don't store hay in bulk, unless you have horses etc & use it quickly because the hay will develop mould & smell musty.

 

[bex's gpigs]

Thanks @Poppy'sMum, I will do this with my remaining hay, I noticed I said bales I should of said medium sized bags lol I have 4 pigs and 1 rabbit yet in 2 weeks they munch through the lot, thanks again

 

[bex's gpigs]

Thanks @Poppy'sMum, I will do this with my remaining hay, I noticed I said bales I should of said medium sized bags lol I have 4 pigs and 1 rabbit yet in 2 weeks they munch through the lot, thanks again